Sheila Escovedo was born on December 12, 1957 in Oakland, California. She is of Mexican, African-American and Creole descent and was born into a family of musicians. Her father is percussionist Pete Escovedo, her uncle is Alejandro Escovedo, a former member of the Nuns, and her grandfather was Latin jazz and mambo musician Tito Puente. Sheila studied at Oakland High School.
Sheila E. plays a variety of instruments including the drums, percussions, violin and guitar. Her experiences have taken her as far as performing onstage with artists such as George Duke, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Herbie Hancock and Marvin Gaye. Of them all, she is most famous for working with Prince and the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. She opened for Prince on the Purple Rain Tour from 1984 to 1985.
In 1984, Sheila E. released her first solo album entitled The Glamorous Life. It contained the single “The Glamorous Life” which reached the seventh spot on the Hot 100 charts. Her other albums were Romance 1600, Sheila E., Sex Cymbal, Writes of Passage and Heaven.
Sheila E. is also active in the movie industry. She was seen on films Krush Groove, Chasing Papi and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. She also contributed to the soundtracks of the three movies. Other soundtracks she was part of were Caught and Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band 2003.
On TV, she appeared on The Magic Hour, Cosby and
Saturday Night Live . In 2007, she judged FOX's
The Next Great American Band alongside Ian Dickson and
John Rzeznik .
She was one of the artists listed on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.
She was featured in Playboy and Celebrity Sleuth. One of her most remembered statements is this: “I'm not trying to sell sex. I just don't like wearing a lot of clothes on stage.”
Sheila E is a contestant on CBS' reality TV series
Secret Talents of the Stars , a show that pits celebrities against each other as they showcase their hidden abilities. Her hidden talent is juggling with The Flying Karamazov Brothers.
(Photo courtesy of CBS)